An Army lieutenant was hit by sniper fire and died yesterday in Brgy. Tuyom, Cauayan, Negros Occidental.

Lt. Col. Rodrigo Sosmena, 47thInfantry Battalion commander, said 2Lt. Jose Angelo Esguerra, 26,was declared dead on arrival at the Kabankalan Doctor’s Hospital, from a gunshot wound in the head.

Sosmena said Esguerra, 26, a platoon leader of the 47IB Charlie Company, was hit by sniper fire, that was also followed by a volley gunfires, that also hit a military vehicle, that the slain Army officer and his colleagues were riding.

This triggereda brief gunbattle between about 10 suspected New People’s Army rebels and colleagues of Esguerra, who had returned fire.

Pursuit operations on the fleeing rebels were still ongoing as of last night.

Col. Oscar Lactao, 303rdInfantry Brigade commander, said the 10 soldiers of the 47thInfantry Battalion, on board a military vehicle, were on their way to Brgy. Basak, Cauayan, for a peace and development project , when they were fired at by rebels, as they were passing Sitio Manluy-a in Brgy. Tuyom, Cauayan.

Lactao said the 47IB troopers form part of thePeace and Development Teams, being mobilized by the Philippine Army to help local government units in identifying solutions to problems of conflict-affected communities in the Cauayan hinterlands.

“The attack on our soldiers performing peace and development works is also an attack against the poor people in the hinterland communities whose lives the NP does not want to improve,” he added.

Lactao called on all Negrenses to condemn the continuing armed struggle of the NPA, that has claimed the life of another Filipino people.

In August last year, Army 2Lt. Rigor Borja and Cpl. Juanito Fernando, both members of the 47thIB Peace and Development Teams, survived, although injured, after they were shot by NPA alleged assassins in Brgy. Camindangan, Sipalay City. * GPB

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